Old Essex County Jail, County jail in University Heights, Newark, United States.
The Old Essex County Jail is a brick complex in Newark containing roughly 20 buildings of varying sizes built between 1837 and the 1930s. At its center stands a two-story square building that served as the administrative and operational heart of the facility.
John Haviland, a renowned architect, designed this Greek Revival prison in 1837 with modern conveniences like indoor plumbing that would not reach the White House for several more years. Additional buildings were added over the following decades as the facility expanded to meet changing needs.
The buildings show how American society changed its thinking about housing inmates, with each structure reflecting different approaches to confinement and control. Walking through the site, you can see these evolving ideas made into brick and mortar.
The site sits at the corner of Newark and New Streets, making it easy to locate and observe from multiple viewpoints. Since the complex has been closed and abandoned for decades, visitors should expect to view the structures from the outside only.
The site served as a filming location for the movie Malcolm X in 1991, the same year it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This dual recognition highlighted the complex's importance both as a cinematic backdrop and as a documented historical landmark.
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